At Home With The Backstreet Boy's Howie Dorough
Source: FLORIDA DESIGN Magazine Vol. 11, No. 2
FLORIDA DESIGN - The magazine for fine interior designs & furnishings
Prestigious Pop Music Awards Set The Tone For a Medley of Metallic Hues
A mutual friend introduced designer Lorraine Rogers-Bolton to Backstreet Boys� Howie Dorough. �Since he has traveled all over the world, I wanted his home to reflect his sophistication,� Rogers-Bolton says.
As a member of the Backstreet Boys, Howie Dorough has millions of adoring fans and a touring schedule that takes him around the world. With hit after hit to the group�s credit, he has amassed a collection of platinum and gold records and prestigious pop music awards. What the 28-year-old Orlando native didn�t have however, was a place to display them. That is, until now.
�This is my first real home of my own,� says Dorough of the beachfront penthouse he shares with his brother. �Whenever I had a break from touring, I�d go home to my parents� house. But I wanted a place to put up my awards and my parents had run out of space.�
The task of deciding which awards to display and where fell to interior designer Lorraine Rogers-Bolton. �I had so much fun doing this project,� Rogers-Bolton enthuses. �When we went to his family�s house, he asked me to select the awards that would be most appropriate. There were hundreds � Grammy, Billboard, MTV, American Music, and European awards. We chose the most important ones.
Buying a place on the beach was an easy decision for Dorough, who loves the water and deep-sea fishing. �Growing up in Orlando, the beach was always a weekend treat for us,� recalls Dorough, who is the youngest of five children in a tight-knit family. �At first, the apartment seemed far from home, but now my parents live on the coast as well. I love the ocean. The view takes my breath away every time.
While Dorough and Rogers-Bolton were brainstorming design ideas, they discovered a mutual admiration for Italy and modern luxury hotels, particularly the Delano on Miami�s South Beach Coincidentally, the day Rogers-Bolton met Dorough, she had just returned from a weekend at the hotel. �Howie likes a clean, contemporary look with rich dark wood, like the Delano�s lobby,� Rogers-Bolton says.
Dorough�s sitting room captures this feeling with Art-Deco inspired chairs and a suede chaise that bask in the glow of a granite-and-marble fireplace. A sisal area rug with a charcoal wool border complements chenille and ethnic inspired fabrics. Music awards flank the fireplace and MTV music awards line the mantel. Dorough, an aspiring actor, uses the sitting room to relax and read scripts.
Dorough�s music awards provided the starting point for Rogers-Bolton�s metallic color scheme. In the living room, soft lighting radiates from a copper-leaf cove ceiling, casting the room in a seductive glow. �Copper always imparts a warm illusion,� Rogers-Bolton explains. �On the color wheel, copper is opposite blue, so it�s the perfect foil for the ocean and sky outside.�
Views of the sky and ocean wrap around the living room. �I wanted to combine a beach atmosphere with wood, steel and creamy colors,� Dorough says.
A clean-lined sofa and love seat, covered in linen chenille, are strategically positioned to take in views of the outdoor panorama. �The tranquility of the ocean is a contrast to Howie�s hectic lifestyle, and I wanted to enhance that feeling with a peaceful, yet contemporary, design theme,� Rogers-Bolton says.
The seating also faces the living room�s focal point � cabinetry made of Japanese sapele wood. Harmonizing with the sapele is an Andean rosewood corner table between the sofa and love seat, and a buffet that backs up to the sofa. Silver-leaf and pewter accessories contrast with wood cabinetry. �The silver-leaf lamp on the buffet table is a sculptural work of art,� Rogers-Bolton says.
Warm copper wall covering in the foyer hallway provides the perfect backdrop for more awards. Wall lamps and a chandelier with contemporary panache enhance the upbeat mood.
In the dining room, Rogers-Bolton applied silver leaf to a coffered ceiling with cove lighting. In the glow of a pendant chandelier, the glass tabletop with a �cracked� middle layer dazzles the eye. Deco-style chairs, upholstered in geometric brocade, reflect the Delano influence that inspired the home�s design. Belgian artist Rene Chavelle created the painting whose trompe l�oeil effect extend the feel of the room.
Pewter-colored carpet in the billiard room lays the foundation for a custom-made stainless steel pool table. �I love to play pool and I always wanted my own table. I�m not a great player, but I can beat my brother every once in a while,� Dorough laughs. Above it, a whimsical chandelier keeps the mood light. Sunlight intensifies the shimmer of silver and copper voile draperies. Faux-painted copper walls and silver-leaf molding maintain the home�s metallic theme.
The ambiance changes dramatically in the master bedroom, where Rogers-Bolton blended a variety of textures. Faux-painted walls create a textural backdrop for an upholstered linen bed and a Deco-inspired chair and ottoman covered in silk jacquard. Above the chair, hangs an etching of a nude by Degas. Rogers-Bolton designed the master bedroom to assuage the hectic life Dorough leads.
�I�ve always dreamed of having my own home. Now I do, and can�t wait to get back,� says Dorough, who was on the road with the group at the time of this interview. �As soon as I have a few weeks off, I�ll be there.�
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